Launched in 1994 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Ogimachi Museum Square (OMS) that has been the cornerstone of small-theater scene of the Kansai region of Japan, the OMS Drama Prize is awarded to the most outstanding play written each year in Kansai. Even after the closing of the OMS theater, the Prize’s sponsor, the Osaka Gas Group, continues to operate the OMS Drama Prize contest. In addition to seeking out young playwrights who will lead the next generation, this prize also seeks to recognize and stimulate the already known playwrights of the middle generation by keeping the competition open to past prize-winners. In this way the OMS Drama Prize has maintained its position as a leading drama prize in the Kansai region.
In the final judging held in December 2006 as an event open to the public, Yu Takeuchi’s (Desu Densho) Onsoku Hyoryu Kagekidan was chosen for the 13th OMS Drama Prize among the 10 finalists. Born in 1977, Takeuchi formed the theater company Desu Densho with fellow students from Kinki University in 1998 and has continued to be the group’s playwright and director. The prize selection committee included Yorozu Ikuta, Makoto Sato, Toshiro Suzue, Masataka Matsuda and Eriko Watanabe.

Also announced after the final judging at the Kinokuniya Hall in Tokyo on December 17 is the 12th Japan Playwrights Association New Playwright Prize. From among the six finalists, the winner was Ayumi Takemoto for Dam. Takemoto began her career in the technical department of the Shiki Theatre Company and is the 2002 recipient of the Agency for Cultural Affairs Honorable Mention Award for Stage Art and the recipient of the 2nd Sendai Geki no Machi Honorable Mention Award for Playwriting. For the 2006 Japan Playwrights Association New Playwright competition a total of 183 works were submitted, with 21 passing the preliminary selection and 6 chosen as finalists. The judging committee included Takeshi Kawamura, Shoji Kokami, Ren Saito, Yoji Sakate, Ai Nagai, Nozomi Makino and Kensuke Yokouchi.